OVER coming weeks, Christians from the local churches will be getting together with Christians from all over the state to support a wonderful initiative, the 'Jesus. All About Life' campaign.
'Jesus. All About Life' is not just the name of an outreach campaign. It states the key message that will be communicated to the whole Australian community in the weeks to come.
The Bible quotes Jesus' actual words in John 10.10 where He says; "I have come that they (all of us) may have life, and have it to the full" (NIV).
Jesus did not come to start an institution or an organisation, he came so that all people everywhere would not have to live under the burden of a broken relationship with God, but know the abundant life of a restored relationship with Him.
You will notice many things during the campaign, some of which may seem a little unusual.
* JAAL corflute signs:
Hundreds of signs will appear around the area in the front yards of homes. It's not a new Real Estate Agency, it's a chance to ask the people who live there to share with you their experience of the risen Christ and what He means to them.
* Dozens of JAAL banners in front of churches and key points:
Letting you know that we're all keen to share the Good News with everyone.
* V8 Thunder:
At an event on September 29 in Nowra for men, meet with Andrew Fisher, racing driver in the V8 utes and supercars and an entrant in this year's Bathurst 1000.
* Dragon Boat Regatta:
A number of Jesus All About Life teams will be entering the regatta on September 20.
* Smaller, local events:
Jesus All About Life events will be advertised or simply 'pop up' around the area over the following weeks. Take some time to stop and see what's going on. It will be fun and it will be beneficial.
* Opportunities for people to find out more about Jesus:
There will also be a call centre where everyone will have the opportunity to find out more about Jesus.
* The message:
JAAL is not a campaign to raise the profile of the church or any particular church.
'Jesus. All About Life' encourages people to seek for themselves the truth of the Bible and more particularly, who Jesus is and what he actually said. He is an historical figure of significant relevance to both Christians and non-Christians.
* Media:
The JAAL campaign will use prime time television and mainstream media to connect with the community. In Jesus' day, the Roman roads were the 'vehicle' for communication. When the printing press was invented, it was like the Roman roads of Jesus' day - it helped the message of Jesus to spread throughout Europe and the world. Today, the 'media marketplace' is our printing press or Roman road. The media is the new 'vehicle' for communicating the message of Jesus.
* Catalyst:
The adds on TV (starting September 27) are designed to connect with the community and act as a catalyst to encourage people to seek out more information. The key to the JAAL campaign is that by using the media as a catalyst, every home will receive the message about Jesus. Not just those who go to church, or those who know a Christian or those who happen to get something in their letterbox, but every person in every home.
Here is the heart of the JAAL campaign. The opportunity for Christians to use the medium of prime-time media to have Australians consider the person of Jesus and encourage them to get more information.
At the same time the churches are encouraged to get involved by running their own cultural and community events and to connect with their local community - and they are! Keep your eyes out!
The local church:
'Jesus. All About Life' is about presenting the words of Jesus in a culturally appropriate way. The campaign encourages people to seek for themselves the truth of the Bible and more particularly who Jesus is and what he actually said, with the hope that these people may indeed make a commitment to, and find a personal faith in the person of Jesus. The delivery point during and after the campaign is not the advertising but rather the local churches.
Each local church in a city or region (most certainly here in Milton and Ulladulla) has the opportunity to use the interest generated by the campaign. The media has done its job when it creates interest, the local church then has the task of delivery of the message of Jesus via cultural, community and arts events. We all take our responsibility very seriously - try us out, put us to the test!
Blessings.
* Warren Spooner, senior pastor at the Harbourlife Community Church in Ulladulla, contributed this article on behalf of all the participating Christian churches.
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